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“2 heaping tsp. leaf to 500ml. in my Breville.
Last time I had this I steeped it at 3:30 and thought that the taste could be developed a bit more. So tonight I went with an extra 30 seconds, taking...”
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“I enjoyed a pot of this tea with my breakfast this morning. I’m still getting to know darjeelings. This is bold, a little floral IMO, but also kind of earthy & gutsy, if that makes sense to...”
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“So i have to say that I’m really glad that this darjeeling is a decent cup of tea. I was a little worried that I was not going to love them, since the first few that i’ve tried, I haven’t liked. ...”
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“I love the format of Upton’s samplers, and grabbed the black tea one as I would like to get more familiar with my straight blacks.
This Darjeeling was really pleasant before breakfast today. It was...”
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20 Tasting Notes

Last time I had this I steeped it at 3:30 and thought that the taste could be developed a bit more. So tonight I went with an extra 30 seconds, taking it up to 4 minutes, which is my usual steep time for black teas.

I think that this time the flavor of the tea came through even when hot – with the trade-off being that there was more astringency too.

Bottom line: I think it’s a more of an everyday black tea – the taste and smell are wonderful but there’s nothing overly complex about it.

In my experience, Darjeeling teas are quite delicate and tend to fare better at 2 minutes, or there abouts. You’re correct, of course, Upton does recommend a longer steep for this particular leaf. I was just wondering (aloud) why that would be. Especially for a tea that Upton claims is so popular and which you found to be rather flat even when steeped sufficiently.

@Camiah: You’re right – sometimes Upton can be a little too generous on their steeping time. I’ve noticed definite improvement before in some of their teas by cutting a minute or two off total steeping, so that is something I will try with this tea as well when I make it again.

@Jim: I don’t think it’s a bad year for the leaf – I did have it cold brewed once and the nuances of the flavors were present then, which leads me to suspect that shorter exposure to the heated water will help the tea immensely. I will aim for about a 2:30 steep time and see what happens then.

I enjoyed a pot of this tea with my breakfast this morning. I’m still getting to know darjeelings. This is bold, a little floral IMO, but also kind of earthy & gutsy, if that makes sense to anybody, LOL.
This is a sample from the first package Sil sent to me, & it was a generous sample. I still have enough to drink it one more time. Thanks Sil! You Rock!

So i have to say that I’m really glad that this darjeeling is a decent cup of tea. I was a little worried that I was not going to love them, since the first few that i’ve tried, I haven’t liked. This one though, is a pretty tasty cup! It’s not my favourite black tea but this is still an enjoyable cup. I’d love a bit more robustness from this but the tea is smooth and tasty.

I had some of this in the morning and am working from memory, so I might come back and update this when I drink it again.
The leaves looked pretty good – not very broken, brownish-greenish.
Astringency was minimal and the tea is nice and round and mellow. The mouthfeel is moderate.

There’s definitely some of that typical floral flavor I expect from a Darjeeling. There are also more mellow malty notes. I presume the more mellow, robust notes are coming from the second flush leaves. There’s a hint of this brothy taste that I notice in some Chinese blacks and Japanese greens that I don’t care for. It really bothers my girlfriend, but it’s not the end of the world in my view. Overall, I prefer a first flush Darjeeling, but this is good too.

Preparation

Smells spicy, sweet, and rich in the bag. Scents that remind me of earth, minerals, and gravevine while steeping. The scents of earthy minerals come through on my tasting notes as well…it kind of reminds me of dark oolongs in a way, except maybe a bit more mild? I’m not the biggest fan of other Darjeeling teas I’ve tried in the past for some reason, they often have this bizarre champagne like flavor to them, but this one is pretty good. Pretty easy drinking.

Preparation

I think I finally found the right preparation for this tea. Unfortunately, my sense of smell is severely compromised due to sinus issues at the moment, so I still can’t fully appreciate this tea. From what I can tell, the flavor is much better-developed than in my first tasting, but the astringency of the second tasting has been avoided.

Preparation

I found this tea to be smooth, yet very delicate for a black tea. I definitely used too little leaf… I will try to adjust that the next time I prepare it. I definitely pick up on the fruity and floral notes. Overall it is a very drinkable tea, but lacks anything of particular note to be memorable.